How Yesware excels with a culture of referrals and above-and-beyond benefits

Yesware is not a company concerned with just talent acquisition. They are a company whose focus is talent as a whole.

Perhaps the reason employees at Yesware seem dedicated to helping their team is because their team seems dedicated to helping them. Their company page lists some extensive and creative benefits, including unlimited vacation policies, daily catered lunch, weekly exercise classes, and dinner and an Uber home if an employee works late.

We want you to be your best self, the company website says in large font above a list of some of their benefits.

Some of Yesware’s benefits, from their company page

A holistic approach to talent

Yesware is sales acceleration SaaS company based out of Boston, MA. Over the past few years they’ve become one of the prominent tools that managers use to get quality insights for clients and prospects, streamlining and maximizing communication. Headquartered in Boston, they have a second office in San Francisco, and a handful of remote employees. In total, their staff numbers a little under 100.

Zoe described the company as one with an “upbeat startup vibe” – complete with an after-work beer keg – and a strong sense of team support.

“We take a whole-person approach to the employee,” Zoe Silverman, Yesware’s Director of Talent, told Drafted in a recent interview. “Our philosophy goes past acquiring to making sure talent is happy, healthy and engaged.”

Fitness, food and coaching – And did we mention puppies?

The result is a team focused on the team. At Yesware, there’s a heavy emphasis on cross-collaboration between different departments. “Everyone wears a lot of hats,” Zoe told us, “and everyone goes above and beyond to help each other out.”

Whenasked about the benefits (the Ubers, dinners and puppies) Zoe told us that the genesis of these programs was “thinking holistically about general employee wellness.”

At Yesware, the focus is not on the ‘work-life’ balance – it’s about making work more like your life, and keeping it healthy.

“Our goal isn’t to do what many offices idealize – putting people to the grindstone 9-to-5. That kind of culture leads to employees who are stressed and jumping to clock out as soon as 5pm hits. Instead, our goal is to keep people happy, healthy, and comfortable, and trusting they’ll get the work done,” Zoe told us.

Employees are given time to eat, or nap, or rest, to keep their stress down and motivation up. There is space to meditate, and a contemplative arts/fitness room.

There’s even a dedicated nap room.

Over $100k in charity donations – through referrals

In 2014, Yesware’s People Team began rethinking their talent acquisition process, and started exploring incentivized referrals. They sent out a survey to every employee at the company asking them a simple question: what would best motivate you to make referrals?

The choices given were a cash reward, or an equivalent amount given to charity. Charity donations won by a landslide.

For each employee who makes a successful referral, Yesware donates $5,000 to their charity of choice. Yesware founder Matthew Bellows recently tweeted a list of the charities that the referral bonuses have gone to – the donations total over $100k since 2014.

Today, referrals are one of the top sources of Yesware’s overall hires. Zoe told us she believes that referrals are a crucial element of their TA strategy. “Focusing on referrals – and focusing on the people that are already here making those referrals – is the best way to catalyze a good hire.”